The Rebel with Broken Strings

The thoughtful third western romance in Kennedy’s Naked Moose series (after Lone Wolf in Lights) offers a worthy couple a second chance at love. After an ATV accident, country star Gunner Woods developed an addiction to prescription painkillers that threatened to end his career. Now he’s back in his small hometown of Timber Falls, Mont., to sober up. Meanwhile, chef Aubrey Hale has been run out of Atlanta after her former boss had her blackballed in the restaurant industry for refusing his sexual advances. She too heads to Timber Falls to run the Naked Moose bar with her two best friends. Gunner and Amber met two years prior and shared a whirlwind weeklong romance—only for Gunner to ghost her. So, to protect her heart, Amber initially pretends not to remember their meeting. But as they’re repeatedly thrown back together by small-town life, her walls slowly come down, especially after Gunner demonstrates his kindness by volunteering to mentor kids in an after-school music program. It’s easy to root for the charming leads, and series fans will be pleased to check in with the locals, especially previous leads Willow and Charly. Readers looking for an emotional small-town contemporary will find this hits the spot. (Dec.)